“Timeless” Toni Storm Enjoys History Making Night At AEW Grand Slam Australia
Life has never been better for “Timeless” Toni Storm.
At AEW All In, Toni Storm’s World collapsed. Not only did she lose the Women’s World Championship, but she also lost it to her one-time friend and protege Mariah May.
What followed was a four-month AEW hiatus that also saw the star suffer big defeats in Mexico and Japan. So when she returned to AEW in December, she went back to basics in her “Rockstar” persona as a young rookie making her way in the industry.
Over the next several weeks Storm enjoyed a rapid rise and earned a shot at May at Grand Slam Australia after winning a Casino Gauntlet Match.
In a face-to-face at Collision Homecoming, May attacked Storm, but it was what followed that changed the game once again.
In a moment reminiscent of Mankind turning into Cactus Jack ahead of the 2000 Royal Rumble, while lying on the mat, Storm grabbed a microphone and blurted out “What makes you think that I’ve forgotten?” As soon as the words left her lips, the crowd exploded and Storm explained that what the world had just witnessed was the “performance of a lifetime.”
“Timeless” Toni Storm was back.
“Timeless” Toni Storm Makes History
Although born in New Zealand, Storm grew up in Australia, and as such Grand Slam represented an emotional homecoming for the star. And thankfully for the packed crowd in Brisbane, the homecoming was a victorious one.
Storm was cheered to the rafters from the moment she made her entrance, with the crowd fully in her corner. However, her path to redemption was far from straightforward.
May looked on the verge of retaining her beloved championship on several occasions, only for Storm to rally and deny her at the last.
As the action reached its climax, Storm hit three devastating Hip Attacks in the corner and followed up with a Storm Zero, but May somehow kicked out. She quickly responded with a Back Suplexes and two Maydays, but this time it was Storm’s turn to defy the odds.
In the ensuing scramble, the challenger landed another Storm Zero, but May rolled to the floor. The British star dragged Storm to the turnbuckle and hit a Storm Zero of her own, but as she looked for another Mayday, Storm hooked the champion into an inside cradle pin from which she couldn’t escape.
As referee Aubrey Edwards’ hand hit the mat on the count of three the crowd exploded, with an emotional Storm taking a second to compose herself as she drowned in the acclaim of her supporters.
When Toni Storm raised the AEW Women’s World Championship belt high above her head, she became the first woman to hold the title four times. She also equaled Jon Moxley as the only wrestler to win an AEW singles World Championship on four occasions.